A few years back, a story went viral about the use of “pink slime” mechanically separated meat within the food industry.

The revelation of the food quality was quite shocking to many and one who especially wasn't happy about the news coverage was the company who made the product. The news about this product was said to first have surfaced back in 2012 when ABC news started making claims that roughly 70 percent of the ground beef sold in markets had this “pink slime” additive.

ABC is now engaged in a multi-billion dollar lawsuit over their media coverage of the “pink slime” as the company, Beef Products Inc, says the ABC news coverage tarnished their reputation and ended-up contributing to the closure of several of their plants, as well as many workers being laid off.

They claim that they saw their revenues drop roughly 80 percent after the coverage of the “pink slime” went viral.

A number of customers, supermarkets and restaurants, went ahead and canceled their order and stopped using the product; their LFTB (lean finely textured beef). BPI is claiming that they are owed damages somewhere around $1.9 billion or more.

The parent of ABC, Walt Disney Co, is so concerned with the potential here for billions to be lost that they mentioned this lawsuit in their 10-Q reports to shareholders that's filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Diane sawyer and ABC news correspondents Jim Avila and David Kerley were all named as defendants in the suit; along with a microbiologist from the Dept. of Agriculture. However, Sawyer and Kerley have since been dropped as defendants.

ABC is confident that when all of the facts of the matter are displayed in court, that they will be vindicated. And it's also alleged that ABC aren't the first organization to investigate the pink slime either, the NYTimes is said to have exposed the LFTP product earlier back around 2009.

It's reported that a number of potential jurors have already been dismissed from being involved with the case because they had expressed criticisms of BPI or the LFTP product.

The “pink slime” is described as a meat-based additive that is used with ground beef and beef-based processed meats. In order for consumers to be sure whether or not they are consuming that, they should look out for the label which indicates it contains “lean finely textured beef” or “textured beef” or “finely textured beef”.

Pics:
WRCB via wrcbtv.com/story/19537506/businesses-in-cleveland-have-been-victimized-by-an-ongoing-series-of-thefts-of-their-commercial-air-conditioning-units

Sources:
http://nypost.com/2017/06/10/how-a-lawsuit-over-beef-has-taken-over-this-tiny-town/
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/abc-news-braces-57-billion-pink-slime-trial-heart-trump-country-1009269
http://clark.com/health-health-care/how-to-know-if-youre-eating-pink-slime/
http://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/pink-slime-case-against-abc-news-finally-goes-to-trial/331211
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/abc-grills-beef-expert-at-pink-slime-trial-1011644
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/pink-slime-abc-defamation-trial-1.4146290

ABC Engaged In Multi-Billion Dollar Lawsuit Over Their “Pink Slime” Coverage

A few years back, a story went viral about the use of “pink slime” mechanically separated meat within the food industry.

They claim that they saw their revenues drop roughly 80 percent after the coverage of the “pink slime” went viral.

It's reported that a number of potential jurors have already been dismissed from being involved with the case because they had expressed criticisms of BPI or the LFTP product.